( 1988 / Indonesia )
Reviewed By-Paul Cooke Director: Arizal Starring: Christopher Mitchum , Bill Wallace , Bruce Abbot , Peter O’Brien & August Melasz Source : CLS Clarion Video Japan / Full Screen Presentation / English Language Dialogue With Small Japanese Subtitles
‘‘No deal with me and you’re dead !’’
Christopher Mitchum stars as Jake Carver , a one man wrecking crew out to retrieve a stolen microfilm worth millions of dollars to competing businesses with a propensity for illegal profiteering. Muscle bound lug-head Bruce Abbot is one half of the interested parties with Bill ‘Super Foot’ Wallace the other. Abbot , blessed with a chest that could be uncovered by Long John Silver in search of a gold bullion , plays Frank Gordon and Wallace his business colleague Adam. All three men collide in their quest to attain the small item worth a very big deal of future revenue in the right hands.
Right from the off Director Arizal stamps his style of blistering all out Action right up on the screen for all to behold and revel in. A super stunt involving a Jeep speeding off of a high rise flat roofed block , through the air and smashing directly in through a window of an adjacent multi storey business structure. The vehicle bounces off the floor upon landing and smashes to a halt against the standing wall. Out of the Jeep jumps its driver , freely cutting loose with his wielded machine gun and splaying the office occupants with a lethal array of bullets. Now that’s how you start an Action film !.
Mitchum is in good shape here and even though on occasion he has a stunt double , oh come on you don’t think he actually pulls off that running wall back flip himself do you !? , the amount of martial arts and running around he does is commendable. Arizal certainly seems to know how best to use his leading man and with a snazzy line in lightweight suits Mitchum also cuts a dapper figure.
There are lots of body part bloody squibs on display as practically everyone is trigger happy , and the odd use of semi automatic weaponry brings about a multitude of wall and glass damage. Two stand out fight moments each occur in a storage cavern , clearly set up in a studio but fit’s the bill perfectly , one with Chris Mitchum mixing his moves like a cross between Sammo Hung and Mohammed Ali. The setting is styled like one of those Sixties Original Batman TV series episodes , very campy and played out like Bruce Lee’s underground sequence from ‘Enter The Dragon’ but in true ‘B’ movie fashion.
With good guy Jake Carver on the trail of Frank Gordon he crosses the path of Adam and he’s soon up to his neck in trouble that sees him captured , tortured and left to burn alive in a remote split level operational residence. Help comes in the form of an old police buddy , and the two escape as the building explodes in another well staged display of pyrotechnics. Jake is left battered and bruised , requiring a short rest bite at the martial arts training school of his former master. Once back on his feet it’s time to call on the bad guys !.
There are a plenitude of fighting styles incorporated into proceedings that keep things interesting from use of fan to classic styled Nunchakus , spear and pole , along with good old bottle breaking and wild fisticuffs. A helicopter chase also spices proceedings as Jake goes after Adam , who has abducted Jake’s love interest whom he believes has knowledge as to the whereabouts of the micro film. Exciting stuff as the two ‘copters buzz the skies whilst those on board shoot at each other.
The incredible Bill ‘Super Foot’ Wallace gets to show what he can do with that mighty foot of his with more forcefulness than John Holmes ever could with his extra foot plus !. His character Adam squares off for one to one fights against both Bruce Abbot and Christopher Mitchum , and the performance is well worth watching out for. Big ups too for Christopher Mitchum for getting so physical in this one , he sure as all heck must have been covered all over in bruises long after the cameras stopped rolling.
The all Action ending is like a signature piece for those familiar with Arizal’s work , energetic and explosive !. Those also familiar with the combined works of both Arizal and Christopher Mitchum can also expect the ubiquitous motorcycle come into play for Mitchum as well. Here Mitchum revs that bike up and roars after a moving train , racing up a ramp and flying right on into the back carriage of the train in a high five hoopla audience revelling stunt. He rides right on through the passenger car for his showdown with Adam , in what is a scene stealing moment befitting his star turn in the picture. Now that is what you call first class entertainment !.
The Indonesian Action combo of Arizal and Mitchum pulls off another very energetic film frenzy that goes all out to entertain , and does so in that bawdy crowd pleasing style. Track down ‘American Hunter’ , sit back and be prepared to be ‘B’ movie blown away.
Film : 3.5 All Action Arizal’s Picture : 3.5 All Action Arizal’s Sound : 3.0 All Action Arizal’s Overall : 3.5 Al Action Arizal’s
